Kolkata Metro starts high-level probe into passenger’s death

Kolkata, July 15 (IANS) Two days after the horrific death of a passenger in the Kolkata Metro, senior railway safety officials on Monday visited the accident spot and started a high-level probe into the tragedy, a Kolkata Metro Railway official said.

Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS-Metro division) Sailesh Garg, led a team of senior railway officials and engineers to the Park Street Metro Railway station, where the accident took place on Saturday evening.

Garg also held a meeting with the Metro Railway officials here at Metro Bhawan and then examined the metro rake, a door of which had allegedly malfunctioned during the accident.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation. Today was the site visit. The Metro rake will be checked for any possible mechanical snags. The reason for the possible malfunction can only be found out after seeing the detailed report. Those directly involved in the incident will also be interrogated," a Metro Railway official said.

Sajal Kanjilal, a resident of Kasba area of Kolkata, was trying to board a Kavi Subhash-bound train at the Park Street metro station on Saturday when the train started moving with his hand stuck between two sliding doors and the body hanging outside.

After the train had moved some distance, the shouts of other train passengers alerted the driver, who applied the emergency brake and the victim fell, face-first, on the track below.

The train came to a stop with four coaches inside the tunnel and the remaining four on the platform area.

Eyewitnesses said the victim lay in the tunnel for quite sometime before security personnel ran and removed him.

"First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Sunday against the Metro Railway after a complaint alleging negligence on its part was lodged by the family members of the deceased," police said.

A motorman and the guard of the Metro train have been suspended.